Is a university education really worth the cost to students and the investment of state tax dollars?

Absolutely! It's one of the best investments individuals and state officials can make. U.S. Census Bureau statistics indicate the average bachelor's degree graduate will earn nearly $1 million more in their lifetime than the average high school graduate. For those with advanced degrees, that lifetime income is even higher.

That investment in higher education pays off for the state and society. The future strength of Iowa's and the nation's economies increasingly depends on those higher skilled, higher earning workers enhancing state productivity, spending those higher incomes, and contributing as active, educated citizens.